Centralized medical diagnostic system service method and apparatus

ABSTRACT

A technique is disclosed for providing remote service to medical diagnostic systems via a centralized service facility. The service facility is configured to receive service requests from diagnostic systems of different modalities, type, location, and so forth. The service requests are handled by one or more servers, and are directed to work stations or technicians for addressing the service requests. The work stations or technicians are selected in accordance with the modality of the diagnostic system as identified by the service request. A subscription status check may be performed for verifying the service arrangements between the requesting diagnostic systems and the centralized service facility. Reply messages are transmitted from the service facility to the requesting diagnostic systems in response to the service requests, providing interactive service exchange between the facility and the diagnostic systems.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates generally to the field of medicaldiagnostic systems, such as imaging systems and the like. Moreparticularly, the invention relates to a technique for providing remoteservice to a range of medical diagnostic systems through a centralizedservice center. The service center is selectively linked to varioustypes of diagnostic systems via a network and interactively exchangesservice requests, reports, and diagnostic system data with the equipmentfor monitoring and addressing service requirements.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Medical diagnostic and imaging systems are ubiquitous in modemhealth care facilities. Such systems provide invaluable tools foridentifying, diagnosing and treating physical conditions and greatlyreduce the need for surgical diagnostic intervention. In many instances,final diagnosis and treatment proceed only after an attending physicianor radiologist has complemented conventional examinations with detailedimages of relevant areas and tissues via one or more imaging modalities.

[0003] Currently, a number of modalities exist for medical diagnosticand imaging systems. These include computed tomography (CT) systems,x-ray systems (including both conventional and digital or digitizedimaging systems), magnetic resonance (MR) systems, positron emissiontomography (PET) systems, ultrasound systems, nuclear medicine systems,and so forth. In many instances, these modalities complement one anotherand offer the physician a range of techniques for imaging particulartypes of tissue, organs, physiological systems, and so forth. Healthcare institutions often dispose of several such imaging systems at asingle or multiple facilities, permitting its physicians to draw uponsuch resources as required by particular patient needs.

[0004] Modem medical diagnostic systems typically include circuitry foracquiring image data and for transforming the data into a useable formwhich is then processed to create a reconstructed image of features ofinterest within the patient. The image data acquisition and processingcircuitry is often referred to as a “scanner” regardless of themodality, because some sort of physical or electronic scanning oftenoccurs in the imaging process. The particular components of the systemand related circuitry, of course, differ greatly between modalities dueto their different physics and data processing requirements.

[0005] Medical diagnostic systems of the type described above are oftencalled upon to produce reliable and understandable images withindemanding schedules and over a considerable useful life. To ensureproper operation, the systems are serviced regularly by highly trainedpersonnel who address imaging problems, configure and calibrate thesystems, and perform periodic system checks and software updates.Moreover, service offerings have been supplemented in recent years byremote service centers capable of contacting scanners at subscribinginstitutions directly without the need for intervention on the part ofthe institution personnel. Such remote servicing is intended to maintainthe diagnostic systems in good operational order without necessitatingthe attention of physicians or radiologists, and is often quitetransparent to the institution.

[0006] In certain remote servicing systems, a computerized servicecenter may contact a scanner via a network to check systemconfigurations and operational states, to collect data for reportgeneration, and to perform other useful service functions. Such contactscan be made periodically, such as during system “sweeps” in which avariety of system performance data is collected and stored withhistorical data for the particular scanner. The data can then be used toevaluate system performance, propose or schedule visits by servicepersonnel, and the like.

[0007] While such service techniques have proven extremely valuable inmaintaining diagnostic systems, further improvements are still needed.For example, in conventional service systems, contact between thescanners and a centralized service center most often originates with theservice center. The scanners are provided with only limitedfunctionality in the ability to identify and define service needs. Evenwhere the scanners have permitted some limited ability to contactnetworked service providers, intermittent conditions indicative of apotentially serviceable problem may cease by the time the serviceprovider is contacted or recontacts the scanner after a service call.Moreover, although the transparency of interactions between scanners andservice centers avoids unnecessarily distracting medical personnel withservice updates, it has become apparent that some degree of interactionbetween service centers and institutions would be highly desirable. Inparticular, an interactive service system would facilitate valuableexchanges of information, including reports of system performance,feedback on particular incidents requiring attention, updates of systemlicenses, software, imaging protocols, and so forth. Currently availableservice systems do not permit such interactive exchanges.

[0008] In addition to the foregoing drawbacks, conventional scanners arenot suitably adapted to support user-friendly, scanner-based serviceexchanges. User interfaces in such scanners typically only permitlimited access to service information, and do not provide a particularlyuseful interface for identifying and defining serviceable conditions asthey occur. Moreover, software platforms and interfaces in conventionalscanners are not suitable for interaction with service centers, andgenerally exclude the user from communications between the scanner andthe service center or, conversely, impose unnecessarily on the user byrequiring intervention for certain service functions such as softwareupdates or downloads. Furthermore, platforms have yet to be developedthat can serve as a base for interactive servicing needs of differentmodalities. Rather, such platforms have traditionally been specificallydesigned for the needs of a particular modality or even a particularscanner with little cross utility between systems or modalities.

[0009] While certain improvements in diagnostic stations has been madefor certain modalities, these are still insufficient to satisfy thecurrent need. For example, graphical user interfaces are available forspecific modality scanners, such as ultrasound scanners, which enablesoftware downloads and remote access to images. The remote accessfeatures are, however, generally limited to transmitting imageconfigurations and image data for reconstruction between remotephysician workstations and the scanner. At present, no systems providefor exchanging information on possible service problems with thescanners, or information or data log files for the purpose of providingremote service of the scanner itself.

[0010] There is presently a need for an improved technique for providingservice to a range of medical diagnostic systems through a centralservice facility. Existing service systems, while offering limitedexchange of data with imaging and similar diagnostic systems, do notpermit interactive exchange of data, particularly in a manner able toactively inform the diagnostic system operators of the status of servicerequests, report requests, new product offerings, and so forth. It wouldbe advantageous, therefore, to provide such centralized coordination ofservice in a user-friendly and interactive manner.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0011] The present invention provides a technique for rendering remoteservice to a range of subscribing institutions and diagnostic systemsdesigns to respond to these needs. The technique is preferablyimplemented through a centralized service center which includeshardware, firmware, and software for interactively exchanging servicerequests, reports, messages, and data required for providing a range ofservice to diagnostic equipment. The diagnostic equipment may include,in turn, a range of scanners, including equipment of various imagingmodalities and manufacture. Although the service center may be“centralized” in the sense of acting as a coordinator for provision ofservice to medical diagnostic systems, it may include a plurality ofservice facilities or installations at diverse locations, includingfacilities local to serviced systems or in remote for the systems. Suchfacilities may be located in geographic locations around the world andoffer high quality service via communications links, networks, and thelike.

[0012] The service center is capable of receiving service requests fromthe scanners, or from centralized management stations linking aplurality of scanners to a network in a subscriber's institution orfacility. The service center processes the requests by identifying thescanners and the type of service requested. The service request isautomatically acknowledged and may be subsequently addressed by aservice engineer. The components of the service center may thenre-access the scanner to transfer data files, log files, and othersystem configuration parameters needed to address the specific serviceproblem.

[0013] The service center may also be linked to other components such asdata banks containing information on the scanner or other scanners in afamily or category, to facilitate compiling reports or comparisons usedin the service analyses. The service center may also sweep the scanner,or a type or a category of scanners, periodically or on demand toacquire information used to report on the status or functionality of theequipment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014]FIG. 1 is a diagrammatical representation of a series of medicaldiagnostic systems coupled to a service facility via a networkconnection for providing remote service and data interchange between thediagnostic systems and the service facility;

[0015]FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the systems shown in FIG. 1illustrating certain functional components of the diagnostic systems andthe service facility;

[0016]FIG. 3 is a block diagram of certain functional components withina diagnostic system of the type shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 forfacilitating interactive remote servicing of the diagnostic system;

[0017]FIG. 4 is a block diagram of certain of the functional componentsof the service facility illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 for renderinginteractive remote service to a plurality of medical diagnostic systems;

[0018] FIGS. 4(A) and 4(B) illustrate sub-components for license andreport servers included in the processing system shown in FIG. 4;

[0019]FIG. 5 is a block diagram of functional components within a fieldservice unit which can be coupled to the diagnostic systems and to theservice facility for exchanging service information with a field serviceengineer;

[0020]FIG. 6 is an exemplary user interface page incorporated in thediagnostic system for placing service requests, and sending andreceiving service data between the diagnostic system and a remoteservice facility;

[0021]FIG. 7 is a second user interface page for conveying serviceinformation to the scanner operator from the service facility;

[0022]FIG. 8 is an interface page for generating a particular type ofservice request at the scanner and for conveying the service request tothe service facility;

[0023]FIG. 9 is an interface page for requesting, compiling andtransmitting reports regarding service activities provided by theservice facility to the scanner;

[0024]FIG. 10 is an interface page for transmitting and viewingservice-related messages from the service facility at the scanner;

[0025]FIG. 11 is an interface page including descriptions of softwareroutines, such as imaging protocols, at the diagnostic system scannerwhich are installed at the scanner or available from a service facilityor library;

[0026]FIG. 12 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary logic implementedby the diagnostic systems for requesting one type of analysis andservice from a remote service facility;

[0027]FIG. 13 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary logic in handlingsuch service requests by the service facility;

[0028]FIG. 14 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary logic for reportingservice activities, updates, alerts, and so forth from the servicefacility to a diagnostic system;

[0029]FIG. 15 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary logic for verifyingand controlling financial and management arrangements between theservice facility and the diagnostic systems, such as licensingarrangements, subscription arrangements, pay-per-use arrangements, andso forth; and,

[0030]FIG. 16 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary control logic foraccessing diagnostic protocols both from a local storage source at thediagnostic system, as well as from a remote library.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0031] Turning now to the drawings, and referring first to FIG. 1, aservice system 10 is illustrated for providing remote service to aplurality of medical diagnostic systems 12. In the embodimentillustrated in FIG. 1, the medical diagnostic systems include a magneticresonance imaging (MRI) system 14, a computed tomography (CT) system 16,and an ultrasound imaging system 18. The diagnostic systems may bepositioned in a single location or facility, such as a medical facility20, or may be remote from one another as shown in the case of ultrasoundsystem 18. The diagnostic systems are serviced from a centralizedservice facility 22. Moreover, a plurality of field service units 24 maybe coupled in the service system for transmitting service requests,verifying service status, transmitting service data and so forth asdescribed more fully below.

[0032] In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1, several different systemmodalities are provided with remote service by the service facility.These and other modalities may be similarly serviced by the servicefacility, depending upon the capabilities of the service facility, thetypes of diagnostic systems subscribing to service contracts with thefacility, as well as other factors. In general, however, the presenttechnique is particularly well suited to providing remote service to awide variety of medical diagnostic system modalities, including MRIsystems, CT systems, ultrasound systems, positron emission tomography(PET) systems, nuclear medicine systems, and so forth. Moreover, thevarious modality systems serviced in accordance with the presenttechniques may be of different type, manufacture, and model. Servicerequests and data transmitted between the systems and the servicefacility includes data for identifying the type and modality of theserviced system, as well as data specifically adapted to the systemmodality and model. It should also be noted that, as used herein, theterm “service request” is intended to include a wide range of inquiries,comments, suggestions and other queries or messages generated by adiagnostic system or an institution in which a system is disposed ormanaged. In particular, such requests may relate to problems occurringon systems, applications questions, questions of a general nature,questions relating to financial or subscription arrangements,information sharing, reports, applications, protocols, and so forth.

[0033] Depending upon the modality of the systems, various subcomponentsor subsystems will be included. In the case of MRI system 14, suchsystems will generally include a scanner 26 for generating pulsedmagnetic fields and for collecting signals from emissions bygyromagnetic material within a subject of interest. The scanner iscoupled to a control and signal detection circuit 28 which, in turn, iscoupled to a system controller 30. System controller 30 includes auniform platform for interactively exchanging service requests, messagesand data with service facility 22 as described more fully below. Systemcontroller 30 is linked to a communications module 32, which may beincluded in a single or separate physical package from system controller30. System controller 30 is also linked to an operator station 34 whichwill typically include a computer monitor 36, a keyboard 38, as well asother input devices 40, such as a mouse. In a typical system, additionalcomponents may be included in system 14, such as a printer orphotographic system for producing reconstructed images based upon datacollected from scanner 14. Although reference is made herein generallyto “scanners” in diagnostic systems, that term should be understood toinclude medical diagnostic data acquisition equipment generally, notlimited to image data acquisition, as well as to picture archivingcommunications and retrieval systems, image management systems, facilityor institution management systems, viewing systems and the like, in thefield of medical diagnostics. More particularly, equipment benefitingfrom the present techniques may include imaging systems, clinicaldiagnostic systems, physiological monitoring systems and so forth.

[0034] Similarly, CT system 16 will typically include a scanner 42 whichdetects portions of x-ray radiation directed through a subject ofinterest. Scanner 42 is coupled to a generator and controller, as wellas to a signal acquisition unit, represented collectively at referencenumeral 44, for controlling operation of an x-ray source and gantrywithin scanner 42, and for receiving signals produced by a detectorarray moveable within the scanner. The circuitry within the controllerand signal acquisition components is coupled to a system controller 46which, like controller 30 mentioned above, includes circuitry forcommanding operation of the scanner and for processing andreconstructing image data based upon the acquired signals. Systemcontroller 46 is linked to a communications module 48, generally similarto communications module 32 of MRI system 14, for transmitting andreceiving data for remote service of system 16. Also, system controller46 is coupled to an operator station 50 which includes a computermonitor 52, a keyboard 54, as well as other input devices 56, such as amouse. Moreover, like MRI system 14, CT system 16 will generally includea printer or similar device for outputting reconstructed images basedupon data collected by scanner 42.

[0035] Other modality devices will include circuitry and hardwareparticularly configured for acquiring or producing signals in accordancewith their particular design. In particular, in the case of ultrasoundsystem 18, such systems will generally include a scanner and dataprocessing unit 58 for transmitting ultrasound signals into a subject ofinterest, and for acquiring resultant signals which are processed forreconstructing a useful image. The system includes a system controller60 which regulates operation of scanner 58 and which processes acquiredsignals to reconstruct the image. Moreover, system 18 includes acommunications module 62 for transmitting service requests, messages anddata between system controller 60 and service facility 22. System 18also includes an operators station 64, including a monitor 66, as wellas input devices such as a keyboard 68.

[0036] Where more than one medical diagnostic system is provided in asingle facility or location, as indicated in the case of MRI and CTsystems 14 and 16 in FIG. 1, these may be coupled to a managementstation 70, such as in a radiology department of a hospital or clinic.The management station may be linked directly to controllers for thevarious diagnostic systems, such as controllers 30 and 46 in theillustrated embodiment. The management system may include a computerworkstation or personal computer 72 coupled to the system controllers inan intranet configuration, in a file sharing configuration, aclient/server arrangement, or in any other suitable manner. Moreover,management station 70 will typically include a monitor 74 for viewingsystem operational parameters, analyzing system utilization, andexchanging service requests and data between the facility 20 and theservice facility 22. Input devices, such as a standard computer keyboard76 and mouse 78, may also be provided to facilitate the user interface.It should be noted that, alternatively, the management system, or otherdiagnostic system components, may be “stand-alone” or not coupleddirectly to a diagnostic system. In such cases, the service platformdescribed herein, and some or all of the service functionalitynevertheless be provided on the management system. Similarly, in certainapplications, a diagnostic system may consist of a stand-alone ornetworked picture archiving communications and retrieval system or aviewing station provided with some or all of the functionality describedherein.

[0037] The communication modules mentioned above, as well as workstation72 and field service units 24 may be linked to service facility 22 via aremote access network 80. For this purpose, any suitable networkconnection may be employed. Presently preferred network configurationsinclude both proprietary or dedicated networks, as well as opennetworks, such as the Internet. Data may be exchanged between thediagnostic systems, field service units, and remote service facility 22in any suitable format, such as in accordance with the Internet Protocol(IP), the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), or other known protocols.Moreover, certain of the data may be transmitted or formatted via markuplanguages such as the HyperText Markup Language (HTML), or otherstandard languages. The presently preferred interface structures andcommunications components are described in greater detail below.

[0038] Within service facility 22, messages, service requests and dataare received by communication components as indicated generally atreference numeral 82. Components 82 transmit the service data to aservice center processing system, represented generally at referencenumeral 84 in FIG. 1. The processing system manages the receipt,handling and transmission of service data to and from the servicefacility. In general, processing system 84 may include one or aplurality of computers, as well as dedicated hardware or softwareservers for processing the various service requests and for receivingand transmitting the service data as described more fully below. Servicefacility 22 also includes a bank of operator workstations 86 which maybe staffed by service engineers who address the service requests andprovide off and on-line service to the diagnostic systems in response tothe service requests. Also, processing system 84 may be linked to asystem of databases or other processing systems 88 at or remote from theservice facility 22. Such databases and processing systems may includeextensive database information on operating parameters, servicehistories, and so forth, both for particular subscribing scanners, aswell as for extended populations of diagnostic equipment. As describedbelow, such databases may be employed both for servicing of particulardiagnostic systems and for tracking such servicing, as well as forderiving comparison data for use in servicing a particular system or afamily of systems.

[0039]FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the foregoing systemcomponents in a functional view. As shown in FIG. 2, the field serviceunits 24 and the diagnostic systems 12 can be linked to the servicefacility 22 via a network connection as illustrated generally atreference numeral 80. Within each diagnostic system 12, a uniformservice platform 90 is provided. Platform 90, which is described ingreater detail below with particular reference to FIG. 3, includeshardware, firmware, and software components adapted for composingservice requests, transmitting and receiving service data, establishingnetwork connections and managing financial or subscriber arrangementsbetween diagnostic systems and the service facility. Moreover, theplatforms provide a uniform graphical user interface at each diagnosticsystem, which can be adapted to various system modalities to facilitateinteraction of clinicians and radiologists with the various diagnosticsystems for service functions. The platforms enable the scanner designerto interface directly with the control circuitry of the individualscanners, as well as with memory devices at the scanners, to accessimage, log and similar files needed for rendering requested orsubscribed services. Where a management station 70 is provided, asimilar uniform platform is preferably loaded on the management stationto facilitate direct interfacing between the management station and theservice facility. In addition to the uniform service platform 90, eachdiagnostic system is preferably provided with an alternativecommunications module 92, such as a facsimile transmission module forsending and receiving facsimile messages between the scanner and remoteservice facilities.

[0040] Messages and data transmitted between the diagnostic systems andthe service facility traverse a security barrier or “firewall” containedwithin processing system 84 as discussed below, which preventsunauthorized access to the service facility in a manner generally knownin the art. A modem rack 96, including a series of modems 98, receivesthe incoming data, and transmits outgoing data through a router 100which manages data traffic between the modems and the service centerprocessing system 84.

[0041] As mentioned above, processing system 84 receives and processesthe service requests and data, and interfaces with additional servicecomponents, both at the service facility and remote from the facility.In the diagram of FIG. 2, operator workstations 86 are coupled to theprocessing system, as are remote databases or computers 88. In addition,at least one local service database 102 is provided for verifyinglicense and contract arrangements, storing service record files, logfiles, and so forth. Moreover, one or more communication modules 104 arelinked to processing system 84 to send and receive facsimiletransmissions between the service facility and the diagnostic systems orfield service units.

[0042]FIG. 3 illustrates diagrammatically the various functionalcomponents comprising the uniform service platform 90 within eachdiagnostic system 12. As shown in FIG. 3, the uniform platform includesa device connectivity module 106, as well as a network connectivitymodule 108. Network connectivity module 108 accesses a main web page 110which, as mentioned above, is preferably a markup language page, such asan HTML page displayed for the system user on a monitor at thediagnostic system. Main web page 110 is preferably accessible from anormal operating page in which the user will configure examinationrequests, view the results of examinations, and so forth such as via anon-screen icon. Through main web page 110, a series of additional webpages 112 are accessible. Such web pages permit service requests to becomposed and transmitted to the remote service facility, and facilitatethe exchange of other messages, reports, software, protocols, and soforth as described more fully below. It should be noted that as usedherein the term “page” includes a user interface screen or similararrangement which can be viewed by a user of the diagnostic system, suchas screens providing graphical or textual representations of data,messages, reports and so forth. Moreover, such pages may be defined by amarkup language or a programming language such as Java, per, javascript, or any other suitable language.

[0043] Network connectivity module 108 is coupled to a license module114 for verifying the status of license, fee or contractualsubscriptions between the diagnostic system and the service facility. Asused herein, the term “subscription” should be understood to includevarious arrangements, contractual, commercial or otherwise for theprovision of services, information, software, and the like, bothaccompanies with or without payment of a fee. Moreover, the particulararrangements manages by systems as described below may include severaldifferent types of subscriptions, including time-expiring arrangements,one-time fee arrangements, and so-called “pay per use” arrangements, tomention but a few.

[0044] License module 114 is, in turn, coupled to one or more adapterutilities 116 for interfacing the browser, server, and communicationscomponents with modality interface tools 118. In a presently preferredconfiguration, several such interface tools are provided for exchangingdata between the system scanner and the service platform. For example,modality interface tools 118 may include applets or servlets forbuilding modality-specific applications, as well as configurationtemplates, graphical user interface customization code, and so forth.Adapters 116 may interact with such components, or directly with amodality controller 120 which is coupled to modality-specificsubcomponents 122. The modality controller 120 and modality-specificsubcomponents 122 will typically include a preconfigured processor orcomputer for executing examinations, and memory circuitry for storingimage data files, log files, error files, and so forth. Adapter 116 mayinterface with such circuitry to convert the stored data to and fromdesired protocols, such as between the HyperText Transfer Protocol(HTTP) and DICOM, a medical imaging standard for data presentation.Moreover, transfer of files and data as described below may be performedvia any suitable protocol, such as a file transfer protocol (FTP) orother network protocol.

[0045] In the illustrated embodiment, device connectivity module 106includes several components for providing data exchange between thediagnostic system and the remote service facility. In particular, aconnectivity service module 124 provides for interfacing with networkconnectivity module 108. A Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) module 126 isalso provided for transmitting Internet Protocol (IP) packets overremote communication connections. Finally, a modem 128 is provided forreceiving and transmitting data between the diagnostic system and theremote service facility. As will be appreciated by those skilled in theart, various other network protocols and components may be employedwithin device connectivity module 106 for facilitating such dataexchange.

[0046] Network connectivity module 108 preferably includes a server 130and a browser 132. Server 130 facilitates data exchange between thediagnostic system and the service facility, and permits a series of webpages 110 and 112 to be viewed via browser 132. In a presently preferredembodiment, server 130 and browser 132 support HTTP applications and thebrowser supports java applications. Other servers and browsers, orsimilar software packages may, of course, be employed for exchangingdata, service requests, messages, and software between the diagnosticsystem, the operator and the remote service facility. Finally, a directnetwork connection 134 may be provided between server 130 and anoperator workstation, such as management station 70 within the medicalfacility (see FIGS. 1 and 2).

[0047] In a present embodiment, the components comprising networkconnectivity module may be configured via an application stored as partof the uniform platform. In particular, a Java application licensed to aservice engineer enables the engineer to configure the deviceconnectivity at the diagnostic system to permit it to connect with theservice facility. Features of the application are segmented intoseparate tabbed pages accessible by the service engineer. Theapplication is entered via a license agreement screen. Once accepted,the service engineer can configure parameters of the system modem, theschedule for running automatic diagnostic checks, and establishelectronic messaging, such as for automatic service report generation.Once the modem is configured, the service engineer establishes contactwith the service facility and provides data enabling the servicefacility to download any remaining data needed for secure communicationbetween the system and the service center. Upon exit from theapplication, a configuration status is presented to the serviceengineer, including status of an automatic test of connectivity betweenthe sites.

[0048]FIG. 4 illustrates exemplary functional components for servicefacility 22. As indicated above, service facility 22 includes a modemrack 96 comprising a plurality of modems 98 coupled to a router 100 forcoordinating data communications with the service facility. An HTTPservice server 94 receives and directs incoming and outgoingtransactions with the facility. Server 94 is coupled to the othercomponents of the facility through a firewall 138 for system security.Operator workstations 86 are coupled to the port manager for handlingservice requests and transmitting messages and reports in response tosuch requests. An automated service unit 136 may also be included in theservice facility for automatically responding to certain servicerequests, sweeping subscribing diagnostic systems for operationalparameter data, and so forth, as described below. In a presentlypreferred embodiment, the automated service unit may operateindependently of or in conjunction with the interactive servicecomponents comprising processing system 84. It should be noted thatother network or communications schemes may be provided for enabling theservice facility to communicate and exchange data and messages withdiagnostic systems and remote service units, such as systems includingoutside Internet service providers (ISP's), virtual private networks(VPN's) and so forth.

[0049] Behind firewall 138, an HTTP application server 140 coordinateshandling of service requests, messaging, reporting, software transfersand so forth. Other servers may be coupled to HTTP server 140, such asservice analysis servers 142 configured to address specific types ofservice requests, as described more fully below. In the illustratedembodiment, processing system 84 also includes a license server 144which is coupled to a license database 146 for storing, updating andverifying the status of diagnostic system service subscriptions.Alternatively, where desired, license server 144 may be placed outsideof fire wall 138 to verify subscription status prior to admission to theservice facility.

[0050] Handling of service requests, messaging, and reporting is furthercoordinated by a scheduler module 148 coupled to HTTP server 140.Scheduler module 148 coordinates activities of other servers comprisingthe processing system, such as a report server 150, a message server152, and a software download server 154. As will be appreciated by thoseskilled in the art, servers 150, 152 and 154 are coupled to memorydevices (not shown) for storing data such as addresses, log files,message and report files, applications software, and so forth. Inparticular, as illustrated in FIG. 4, software server 154 is coupled viaone or more data channels to a storage device 156 for containingtransmittable software packages which may be sent directly to thediagnostic systems, accessed by the diagnostic systems, or supplied onpay-per-use or purchase basis. Message and report servers 152 and 154are further coupled, along with communications module 104, to a deliveryhandling module 158, which is configured to receive outgoing messages,insure proper connectivity with diagnostic systems, and coordinatetransmission of the messages.

[0051] The foregoing components may, of course, include furthersubcomponents for executing specific functions in the processing system.FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate such subcomponents for license server 144 andreport server 150. As shown in FIG. 4A, license server 144 includes avalidity check module 160 linked to license database 146. The licensedatabase is further linked to a key information module 162, a contractpopulation process module 164, and a site population process module 166.The latter module is further coupled to systemic information databases168. As described more fully below, validity check module 160 receivessite information, verifies site and license information with licensedatabase 146, and accesses resulting status information from thedatabase. Module 160 then may output the site status and license statusinformation to the HTTP server within the processing system for enablingconsideration and response to a service request or for otherwiseaddressing the service request. Module 162 receives key information andsite information regarding the particular diagnostic system requestingservice, and transmits site identification, configuration, and similarinformation to other system components through the intermediary ofdatabase 146. Similarly, population process modules 164 and 166 storeand provide general contract status data, service security keys, sitedemographic information, and so forth.

[0052] The functional components of report server 150, as shown in FIG.4B, may include a report generation module 170, coupled to a reportaccess module 172, a report storage device 174, and an automated datagathering module 176. Automated data gathering module 176 may includeall or a portion of an automated service unit 136 as shown in FIG. 4. Asdescribed more fully below, the components of the report server receivescanner data, service information, warehouse information, and the like,and generate system-specific reports based upon this and collectedinformation, such as from gathering module 176. Such reports may alsoinclude information on entire populations of similar diagnostic systems,such as for comparison purposes, component life predictions and soforth. The reports may be stored and accessed remotely by the diagnosticsystem as described below.

[0053]FIG. 5 illustrates certain of the functional components containedwithin an exemplary field service unit 24. Field service unit 24 mayinclude a portable computer designed for use by remote serviceengineers. The unit includes a service platform which includes certainfunctional circuitry for establishing a uniform service base asdiscussed above for the diagnostic systems themselves. Moreover, theservice units include specific service tools which enable the fieldengineer to request and receive remote service messages, reports onspecific diagnostic systems, service schedules, and so forth. Throughthe service platform, therefore, the field engineer may access systemconfigurations, historic log information, system network information,analysis logs and data, and so forth. In addition, the field serviceunit described below, in conjunction with the system platform and theservice facility components, permits such information to be accessedeither by the field engineer on the field service unit, or at thediagnostic system itself (e.g. when the service engineer is on-site), orfrom the remote service facility. The field engineer may also updateservice records either from the field service unit or from thediagnostic system, as desired.

[0054] Thus, as shown in FIG. 5, an exemplary field service unitincludes a device connectivity module 106 and a network connectivitymodule 108. Device connectivity module 106 may include connectivityinterface circuitry 124, a network or PPP module 126, and a modem 128,as described above for the diagnostic system with reference to FIG. 3.The network connectivity module 108 may, in turn, include a server 130and browser 132 substantially identical to those of the diagnosticsystems, enabling the field engineer to receive, view and composemessages, reports, and so forth via a main web page 110 and a series ofweb pages 112. Moreover, an access module 114A is provided for allowingthe service facility to verify the license and security status of thefield service unit. For example, the access module, in cooperation withcircuitry at the service facility, may permit a field service engineerto access data or applications providing some or all of thefunctionality offered to service engineers at the service facility. Suchfunctionalities may be similar to those provided at the diagnosticsystems themselves, or may offer the service engineer a wider range ofservice options. One or more adapter modules 116 provide for interfacingthe network circuitry with various field service tools. In particular,the field service unit may be equipped with service applications, asindicated at blocks 180, such as for analyzing diagnostic systemperformance data, scheduling regular or special service calls,scheduling for shipment of replacement parts, and so forth. Otherservice applications may include applications generally similar to thoseexecuted on the operator workstations 86 of the service facility (see,e.g. FIG. 4). Such applications may permit the field service engineer toaddress service requests at the diagnostic system site, or remote fromthe site as required, and transmit service messages and updates via theremote field service unit.

[0055] In a presently preferred embodiment, the foregoing functionalcircuitry may be configured as hardware, firmware, or software on anyappropriate computer platform. For example, the functional circuitry ofthe diagnostic systems may be programmed as appropriate code in apersonnel computer or workstation either incorporated entirely in oradded to the system scanner. The functional circuitry of the servicefacility may include additional personal computers or workstations, inaddition to a main frame computer in which one or more of the servers,the scheduler, and so forth, are configured. Finally, the field serviceunits may comprise personal computers or laptop computers of anysuitable processor platform. It should also be noted that the foregoingfunctional circuitry may be adapted in a variety of manners forexecuting the functions described herein. In general, the functionalcircuitry facilitates the exchange of service data between thediagnostic systems and a remote service facility, which is preferablyimplemented in an interactive manner to provide regular updates to thediagnostic systems of service activities.

[0056] As described above, both the diagnostic systems and the fieldservice units preferably facilitate interfacing between a variety ofdiagnostic system modalities and the remote service facility via aseries of interactive user-viewable pages. FIGS. 6 through 11 illustrateexemplary pages for providing interactive information, composing servicerequests, selecting and transferring messages, reports and diagnosticsystem software, and so forth. It should be noted that through thefollowing discussion, reference is made to viewable pages forinterfacing in the language of the present description. However, in apresently preferred embodiment, the platform may be configured topresent such interface pages in several different languages, dependingupon the country in which the system is installed. As illustrated firstin FIG. 6, a main web page 110 is accessible from a normal diagnosticsystem screen viewable on the diagnostic system monitor 36, 52 or 66.Main web page 110 may therefore be viewable by clicking an input devicesuch as a mouse on an icon (not shown) on the normal operational screen.Main web page 110 includes a series of navigation devices 178 in theform of graphical buttons for accessing other interface pages in thegraphical user interface. In the illustrated embodiment, these graphicaldevices include a service request button 180 for accessing a servicerequest page, an applications button 182 for accessing an applicationspage, a system reports button 184 for accessing service reports, and amessages button 186 for sending and receiving interactive servicemessages. A help button 187 is provided for accessing user information,help topics and so forth, which may be resident on the system, oravailable through on-line sources viewable through the system browser. Aclose or exit button 188 is provided for returning to the normal scannerinterface page. In addition to these navigational devices, main page 110includes a message area 190 in which information regarding the mostrecent messages is displayed. This information may includeidentification of the time and date received, the originator of themessage, and a brief summary of the message content or title. Thus, uponaccessing main page 110, the system user is made aware of serviceactivities carried out by the remote service facility or field serviceengineer.

[0057]FIG. 7 illustrates the applications page 192 accessed by actuationof the applications button 182 in the main page. As in the main page,the applications page includes a series of graphical buttons 178 fornavigating through the other pages of the graphical user interface,including a main screen button 194 for returning to the main screenshown in FIG. 6. Moreover, additional web pages may be accessiblethrough the applications page, such as a documentation or a help page orseries of pages, accessible through a graphical button 196. A protocolspage is accessible through a graphical button 198. Moreover, page 192 isprovided with a text area 200 in which text describing various servicedocumentation, messages, modality equipment, operational instructions,and so forth may be displayed.

[0058] It should be noted that in a presently preferred configuration,the information displayed within text area 200 is specifically designedfor the particular modality and type of diagnostic system on which theuniform platform is installed. Thus, as described below, when theservice center is placed into network contact with the diagnosticsystem, the identification of the diagnostic system to the servicecenter allows the service center to transmit and displaymodality-specific information in the text area. In the embodimentillustrated in FIG. 7, such text includes documentation on imagingprotocol or examination descriptions, a system newsletter specificallyadapted for the modality and system type, updated questions and answers,and instructional suggestions for operation of the diagnostic system.The user can access the specific documents described in the text area byselection of all or a portion of the text describing the documents. Inthe presently preferred embodiment, the accessed documents may be storedin local memory devices within the diagnostic system, or selection ofthe text may result in loading of a uniform resource locator (URL) foraccessing a remote computer or server via a network link.

[0059] As mentioned above, the uniform graphical user interfacefacilitates formulation of service requests and enables system designersto permit such service requests in a similar manner across severaldiagnostic system modalities. FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary interfacepage for formulating such service requests. In the page shown in FIG. 8,a “snap shot” or current system state may be captured as the basis forthe service request. The service request page would be accessed from thenormal operating page at the scanner, through the service request button180 in the main web page or one of the other web pages. With the systemstate remaining at its condition just prior to accessing the servicerequest page, image data files, log files, error files, and so forth maybe identified, captured, stored and transmitted to the service facilityfor evaluation of potential problems in the diagnostic system. As willbe appreciated by those skilled in the art, the service requesttherefore enables the user to identify potential imaging systemdifficulties that may not be apparent in subsequent examinations, or maynot reoccur on a predictable basis. It should be noted that the servicerequests formulated via a page such as that shown in FIG. 8 anddescribed below are not limited to identifying image acquisition orprocessing problems, or to capturing image files only. Such requests mayrelate to general or system-specific questions, or may identify datafiles containing system configuration data, and data indicative ofhistorical operational parameters or events. Such events may includeparameter limits exceeded, timeouts, protocol configurations, hardwareand software configurations, work queues, and so forth. Similarly, imagedata identified for evaluation may include both processed, partiallyprocessed and raw data from which images are subsequently reconstructed.

[0060] The service request page 202, as shown in FIG. 8, includesgraphical buttons 204 which permit the user to identify whether theservice request is urgent or whether the request entails simply anapplications question or non-urgent inquiry. In the illustratedembodiment, a series of interactive selections 206 are available,permitting the user to identify, if possible, the type of problem whichmay be occurring. Furthermore, a series of identification areas 208allow the user to insert text to identify both the user, the user'slocation or telephone number, and other contact information. It shouldbe noted that the server included in the uniform platform alreadyincludes unique system identification data which supplements theinformation input by the user. Such information may be input by a user,or may be supplied automatically by the system. Where the servicerequest involves a specific image or examination sequence, the user mayinput such identifying data in a series of examination identificationareas 210. Where the examination request involves an examination whichhas just been attempted or is underway, the data required in areas 210may be transmitted directly from the modality controller. A further area212 permits the user to identify or describe the type of service problembeing experienced. A date stamp area 214 provides an identification ofthe date and time of the serviceable problem or question. In appropriatesituations, a default time drawn from a system clock may be provided inthis area, or the default time may be overridden by the user. Finally,in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 8, the user may complete andsubmit the service request by selecting a graphical send button 216. Itshould also be noted that in the illustrated embodiment, a graphicalservice center telephone directory button 218 is provided, by which theuser may access numbers for immediately contacting the remote servicefacility.

[0061]FIG. 9 illustrates a further interface page for informing thesystem operator of the current and past state of service activities, andfor transmitting reports to the diagnostic system from the remoteservice facility. The system reports page 218 includes a series ofgraphical buttons 178, including certain options which may be providedacross a number of modalities, such as a service history button. Whenthe service history button is selected, text appears in a text area 222which identifies the type of service performed on the diagnostic system,either locally by a service engineer or remotely by the remote servicefacility. The text may also indicate the nature of the organizationperforming the service, applicable reference numbers, and the date onwhich the service was performed. The diagnostic system operator isthereby apprised of all service activities provided to the diagnosticsystem, and maintains and up-to-date, comprehensive list of the serviceactivities.

[0062] Other selections available in the system reports page may includesystem usage, accessible through a graphical button 224, and monitoringactivities accessible through a button 226. It should be noted that thespecific information accessed through selection of one of the graphicalbuttons will be adapted not only for the modality and system type, butfor the specific system in which the user interface is installed. Thus,under a system usage page (not shown) a CT system may include dataindicative of the performance of an x-ray radiation source, while in anMRI system, the same graphical button may access information on cryogenlevels and temperatures. It should also be noted that specific modalityor system buttons may be provided, such as a tube usage button 228 inFIG. 9, suitable for x-ray and CT systems. Although such additionalinterface access devices are configured in individual systems, they arepreferably provided in a uniform location and lay out which can beeasily learned and used by operations personnel.

[0063]FIG. 10 illustrates a messages page for the uniform platform andgraphical user interface. Messages page 230 is accessible through themain page shown in FIG. 6. Upon accessing the messages page, the systemuser is provided with information on service and other messages receivedby the diagnostic system via a network connection. A pair of graphicalbuttons are provided for selecting either current messages or savedmessages received by the system. Upon selection of either the current orsaved messages button, the user is provided with a list of messages in atext area 232, identifying the subject of the message, the originator,and the date received. The body of the message, and graphical symbolsindicating possible attachments (none shown) are also provided in thetext area 232. The user may select a particular message for viewing byselection of the entire or a portion of the text defined in thetabulated message list.

[0064] As described more fully below, when a service request is composedand transmitted to the remote service center, an acknowledgment messageis generated and returned to the diagnostic system, indicating that theservice request has been received and is being processed. Moreover,where reports are generated, based either on a service request or on anautomatic or a periodic basis, the availability of such reports may beflagged through the message page. Both the message and the report maythen be accessed by appropriate selection of the message title in thetabulated list. The user may save or delete each message by selection ofan appropriate save or delete graphical button 234.

[0065] As illustrated in FIG. 11, further interface pages may beprovided for listing available software, uploading such software intothe particular modality controller, or downloading the software from alibrary or service facility. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 11,such software includes a series of examination or imaging protocols. Aswill be appreciated by those skilled in the art, such protocols defineconfiguration parameters for specific examination sequences. In general,however, as used herein, the term “protocols” generally refers toinstructions or parameters for acquiring, manipulating, displaying,archiving or managing medical diagnostic data. The protocols arespecifically adapted for the modality of the diagnostic system, and maybe further adapted for specific system types and capabilities. Inpresently preferred configurations, the protocols may be stored locallyat the particular diagnostic system, or may be available at thediagnostic system via a variety of transfer options or memory supportdevices, such as CD ROM storage discs. It should be noted, however, thatinterface pages such as that shown in FIG. 11, and the processingdescribed below, are not limited to transfer of protocols, but mayinclude transfer of a wide range of programs.

[0066] The available software routines are listed and described brieflyin the user-viewable page. In FIG. 11, the protocol screen 236 lists aseries of imaging protocols within a text area 238. For each protocolprovided in the listing, a brief description of the protocol and itsconfiguration parameters is provided as indicated at reference numeral240, as is a condensed image or thumbnail sketch of the type of imageavailable through application of the protocol, as indicated at referencenumeral 242. Additional protocols may be made available by paging downthe list in a conventional manner. Also, in a preferred embodiment,protocols presented in a menu may be sorted, such as by anatomy, imagingor acquisition technique, physiological condition or pathology, and soforth. As described in greater detail below, in a preferred embodiment,not only are the protocols displayed for reference purposes at thediagnostic system, but new or additional protocols may be added to thelisting from time to time, such as by downloading from the servicefacility. Moreover, certain of the protocols may be made available on afee-per-use, one-time payment, or a license basis. Furthermore, the usermay upload examination configurations by selecting the thumbnail imageor text associated with a particular protocol. Thus, the uniform userinterface and platform facilitate not only viewing and listing suchroutines and protocols, but assist in the examination configurationsthemselves.

[0067]FIGS. 12 through 16 illustrate exemplary control logic implementedby the functional components described above at the diagnostic systems,the service facility, and remote field service units. In particular,FIG. 12 illustrates exemplary logic for composing and transmitting aservice request via the graphical user interface and uniform platform.The control logic, indicated generally by reference numeral 250, beginsat step 252 wherein a service page is accessed from a normal operatingpage at the diagnostic system or at a management station. The logicalsteps illustrated in FIG. 12 are particularly adapted for composingservice requests based on specific instances of malfunctions or specificquestions on examination sequences. Thus, at step 252 a service requestpage such as that shown in FIG. 8 is accessed. At step 254 thediagnostic system may verify a subscriber status required for therequested service. In particular, the various service requests may becategorized by type, and associated with specific contract types,subscriber services, licenses, and so forth. Such subscriber data willbe stored in a license module such as module 114 shown in FIG. 3. Wherethe service requests are freely made by the scanner, this step may beeliminated. However, where specific service subscriptions are required,a comparison is made at step 254 between the required contractualarrangement or subscriber license and the similar information on filefor the diagnostic system. At step 256 in FIG. 12, the diagnostic systemconnectivity module dials and connects the diagnostic system to theservice facility. At step 258 the service request is composed, such asby selecting or inputting the question description, user identification,problem description and other information as described above withrespect to FIG. 8.

[0068] At step 260, the diagnostic system server 130 (see FIG. 3)determines the type and location of data that may be required foraddressing the service request. For example, for service requestsregarding imaging sequences, acquired image data files may beidentified, along with scanner log files, error files, and so forth.More particularly, the data identified (and later transmitted ifrequired) may include both raw or processed image data, softwareconfiguration information, systems data (e.g. hardware and softwareidentification and configuration), and so forth. Certain of the data maybe specific to the modality of the system (such as data in a DICOMformat), and may be defined by modality through adaptation of theuniform platform via the modality interface components. Where such datais required for properly addressing the service request, the data filesare located as indicated at step 262. The files may be backed up orstored from the modality-specific circuitry through the intermediary ofadapter modules, such as adapter module 116 (see FIG. 3). These steps inthe exemplary logic therefore permit the user to configure a servicerequest which effectively captures a state of the diagnostic systemwhich gave rise to the service request. The request may be therebylinked to the specific problem for which service is needed.

[0069] At step 264 a message is formatted based upon the servicerequest. The message formatting will typically include identification ofthe diagnostic system, a facility in which the system is located, and soforth. It should be noted that in the preferred embodiment, the servicerequest and the message is stripped of information relating to specificpatient identifications. Other data, such as financial or accountinformation may be included with the message or may similarly bestripped from the request. Where the requested service is permitted bythe subscriber arrangement, the logic proceeds to step 266 where therequest is placed in a message queue at the diagnostic system. If thesubscription arrangement does not permit the specific type of request,the logic may produce a message notifying the system user of this fact,may proceed based upon an exception to the subscriber arrangements, orboth.

[0070] At step 268 the service request message is transmitted. Theservice facility receives the service request and processes the requestas summarized below. In the preferred embodiment a requestacknowledgment signal is immediately transmitted by the service facilityback to the diagnostic system and is received by the diagnostic systemat step 270. The diagnostic system operator is thereby immediatelyprovided with feedback on the status of the service request, includinginformation relating to a reference code and estimated handling time. Atstep 272 a portion or all of the data files may be transmitted by thediagnostic system to the service facility. Alternatively, transmissionof all or some of the data files may be delayed until a subsequentservice connection session. At step 274, the acknowledgment message isposted on the message page of the graphical user interface, and anotification that the message has been received may be posted on theinterface page which is currently being viewed at the diagnostic system.At step 276 the diagnostic system may disconnect from the servicefacility. Alternatively, additional messages, service requests, and soforth may be transmitted, or other remote activities may be performed atthis stage. When certain of the data required to address the servicerequest is not transmitted immediately, the service facility mayrecontact the medical diagnostic system at a subsequent time. Asindicated at step 278, a data file pull request may be transmitted bythe service facility, and, in response to the request, the platform atthe diagnostic system will access the required files and transmit thedata to the service facility for analysis.

[0071]FIG. 13 illustrates steps in exemplary control logic foraddressing the service request at the remote service facility. Thisrequest handling logic, indicated generally by reference numeral 280,begins with receipt of the request as indicated at step 282. The requestis received via the network connectivity modules of the service facilityand is handled by the service center processing system including theHTTP server 140 and the analysis server 142 (see FIG. 4). In addition tothe steps illustrated in FIG. 13, the service facility servers willverify license or other subscriber data for the diagnostic system orsite requesting the service as described more fully below with referenceto FIG. 14.

[0072] Upon receipt of the service request and subscriber clearance, theservice facility processing system determines, at step 284, whether aservice dispatch has been opened. As used herein, the term “dispatch”refers generally to a service request tracking or handling technique,such as for referencing a service request or identifying the servicerequest or response at a later time. The logical steps executed at step284 may include comparison of the origin and nature of the servicerequest with service requests already received and being handled by theservice facility. If, through this comparison, it is determined that nodispatch has been opened for the particular request, a dispatch iscreated at step 286 and the service request is placed in a handlingqueue. If a dispatch has already been created, it is determined at step288 whether the dispatch has been assigned to a service facilityengineer for handling. If the dispatch has not yet been assigned, a noteis appended to the dispatch at step 290 indicating that the servicerequest has been repeated. From either step 284 or step 290, a messageis generated at step 292 including the reference number of the dispatchin the service facility or an update on the status of the preexistingdispatch. This message is then transmitted to the requesting diagnosticsystem or site and is received and posted by the site as described abovewith respect to FIG. 12.

[0073] Following transmission of the acknowledgment message at step 292,a modality service engineer is notified of the service request at step294. Because in the present technique the service facility may provideinteractive service to a variety of system modalities, at step 294 aservice engineer, typically staffing a workstation 86 (see FIG. 4) inthe service facility is assigned service requests according to theparticular modality of the diagnostic system. It should be noted,however, that the modality service engineer assigned the service requestmay be remote from the service facility, and may be a field serviceengineer accessible through a field service unit 24 (see FIGS. 1 and 2).At this point in the control logic, the service facility may bedisconnected from the requesting diagnostic system.

[0074] Where the service request requires data, such as image datafiles, log files, and so forth, from the diagnostic system, this datamay be transmitted along with the request. However, where voluminousfiles are needed, or where files are identified by the service facilityor by a service engineer subsequent to receipt of the request, thediagnostic system may be recontacted by the service facility asindicated at step 296 to locate and transmit the needed data. At step298 the data is accessed, transmitted and stored. The steps involved inrecontacting the medical diagnostic system and transmitting the neededdata files may require prompting of operations personnel for the inputof specific information, or may be essentially transparent to thediagnostic systems operations personnel. Thus, the service facilityserver or servers may contact the diagnostic system server directly toaccess and transmit the needed data without intervention from theoperations personnel at the diagnostic system facility.

[0075] Depending upon the nature of the service request, the servicefacility engineer will perform analysis of the service issues andrecontact the diagnostic system either in person, by telephone, ordirectly through the network connection and user interface. Forparticular service requests, the service facility database may beutilized as indicated at step 300 in FIG. 13. Such databases will becalled into play in reviewing or updating service history for theparticular diagnostic system or site, as well as for referring toconfiguration parameters, operating parameters, reference values, and soforth for the particular modality and system type. The databasesaccessed at step 300 may also include information relating topopulations of diagnostic systems. Such information may be used by theservice facility for comparison purposes, predicting possible futureservice needs, predicting component failure or degradation, and soforth. Moreover, the access to the databases at step 300 may includeaccess to new or updated routines, protocols, instructionaldocumentation and courses, schedules for training, and so forth. Wheresuch information is located for the diagnostic system modality and type,the data may be included in messages formulated by the service facilityand retransmitted to the diagnostic system. At step 302 the databaseinformation is therefore accessed, transmitted and stored for respondingto the service request.

[0076] Returning to step 288, if at this step it is determined that adispatch has been assigned, a further dispatch may be created at step304. A message, including the update regarding the dispatch, isformulated and sent at step 306 to inform the diagnostic systemoperations personnel of the status of the service request. A “pop up”box message is then addressed to the assigned service engineer at step308. At step 310 the processing system determines whether the assignedengineer has accepted the dispatch. If no engineer accepts the dispatchor a predetermined interval lapses following display of the notificationat step 308, the logic proceeds to step 294 wherein a modality serviceengineer is notified of the service request. Subsequent logic followsstep 294 as described above. If upon displaying the notice at step 308 aparticular service engineer accepts the service request, the request isassigned to the engineer at step 312 and the logic may proceed to step296 as described above.

[0077] In general, substantive responses to service requests will varydepending upon the tenor of the request. For example, the response mayinclude suggestions for operating the diagnostic system or a medicalinstitution in which the system is installed. Such information mayprovide “best practices” type information for the particular system typeor modality, as well as instructional information on user or care forthe system. The information may also include alerts, such as foranticipated service needs, scheduled or available training sessions andso forth. As described below, the response may further include programsor protocols or reports of system operation. It should be noted that thesame type of information may be provided to the diagnostic system at theinitiation of a remote service facility as part of a service program orotherwise.

[0078]FIG. 14 illustrates steps in exemplary control logic executed bythe service system for requesting, compiling and transmitting reportsrelating to service activities and operation of the medical diagnosticsystems. The control logic, indicated generally by reference numeral310, may begin in one of several manners, depending upon whether thereport is being generated automatically, or upon request by a particulardiagnostic system, or by a field engineer. Where the report isspecifically requested by a diagnostic system, the report request isproduced at step 312 by the system operator or manager via the uniformgraphical user interface described above. Various types of reports maybe produced, including reports relating to recent or historical serviceactivities, reports of the state of the diagnostic system, includingnumbers and types of examinations performed, errors or problemsencountered, anticipated service needs, and so forth. For example, inx-ray and CT modalities, reports may relate to the operational status ofthe x-ray tubes, while in MRI systems, reports may include data relatingto cryogen levels and temperatures. Moreover, reports may be requestedfor financial, subscription, or other management functions, includinglistings of current license subscriptions, accumulated fees for specificaccounts (e.g. resulting from pay-per-use or one-time fee arrangements),and so forth. Similar reports may be requested by field serviceengineers and technicians as indicated at step 314.

[0079] At step 316 the report request is transmitted to the servicefacility. The report request will typically be transmitted in the formof a service request message as described above with reference to FIG.12. At step 318 the transmitted request is acknowledged by a returnacknowledgment message from the service facility, providing anindication of receipt and confirmation of handling of the report.

[0080] Certain of the reports available through the system may beprovided free of charge, or based upon specific subscription types, orfor a fee. Thus, as shown in FIG. 14 at step 320, followingacknowledgment of receipt of the report request, the service facilityprocessing system may evaluate the request to determine whether a fee isapplicable. If a fee is associated with the report requested by thediagnostic system user, a fee/subscription routine is performed asindicated at step 322. Exemplary control logic involved in thefee/subscription routine is described below with reference to FIG. 15.

[0081] Following either step 320 or step 322, the service facility iscontacted via a network connection as indicated at step 324. It shouldbe noted that while the fee verification steps indicated at steps 320and 322 may be performed in the medical diagnostic system, similar stepsmay be performed in the service facility following step 324, or betweenthe diagnostic system and the service facility interactively, dependingupon the particular fee arrangement and the data required forauthorization of the fee structure. As indicated above, the reportsgenerated by the service system may result from triggering events otherthan a specific request. In particular, certain reports may be generatedon a periodic basis, such as weekly or monthly, and the service facilityor the medical diagnostic system may generate a prompt for a reportbased upon a preestablished calendar or routine. Thus, as indicated atstep 326, a periodic trigger may give rise to either the medicaldiagnostic system contacting the service facility, or vice-versa.

[0082] Once the diagnostic system and service facility are linked, theservice facility may sweep the diagnostic system for data required forthe desired report as indicated at step 328. As used herein, the term“sweep” refers generally to a process of connecting system components,such as via a network connection, identifying desired data, andtransmitting the data, either in an “upload” or a “download” scenario,depending upon the nature of the data and its use in servicing a system.Such sweeps may occur on regularly scheduled bases, at desired times(e.g., at off-peak utilization times) or on demand by a system user or asystem application. The system data may be stored in specific data fileswhich are accessed either through intervention of a service engineer, orautomatically by the service facility processing system. Once the datais accessed, it is transmitted to the service facility as indicated atstep 330. At step 332 the service data records for the particulardiagnostic system, as well as records kept for specific populations ofsimilar diagnostic systems is updated as indicated at step 332.Subsequently, the service facility may disconnect from the diagnosticsystem as indicated at step 334. In situations in which no further datafrom the diagnostic system is needed for generation of the requestedreport, the steps of data collection and transmission may be eliminated.Moreover, the service facility may perform periodic data sweeps ofsubscribing systems without immediately generating a report through thesubsequent logical steps.

[0083] Where a report is to be generated based upon the acquired andhistorical data, the data is processed as indicated at step 336. As willbe appreciated by those skilled in the art, the specific processingperformed at this step may vary widely depending upon the nature of thediagnostic system, the data being processed, the type of report beinggenerated, and so forth. For example, the data processing may includestatistical analysis of the acquired data, categorization of data, aswell as failure prediction analyses based upon the data, and so forth.The processed data is then compiled into the desired report as indicatedat step 338. The report may include tabulated presentations, but mayalso include compilations of data into graphical formats, such ascharts, graphs, and so forth, which may be accessible through a seriesof interactive pages viewable by the diagnostic system user via thelocal browser.

[0084] At step 340 connection is reestablished with the diagnosticsystem and a notification of the availability of the report istransmitted. Several scenarios are available for transmission of therequested reports. As indicated at step 340, the requested report may betransmitted with the notification message in a “push” scenario. Ingeneral, such techniques will append the report to a notificationmessage which is transmitted and displayed at the diagnostic system. Theuser may then access the report by appropriately selecting the messageor an icon or text associated with the message. Where desired, however,reports may be compiled and a notification message provided at step 340,requiring the diagnostic system or the site to recontact the servicefacility and to “pull” the report as indicated at step 342. Where thereport was requested by a field service engineer, similar steps areperformed for transmitting the desired report to the field serviceengineer, or for permitting the field service engineer to pull thereport based on a notification message. Moreover, where reports arerequested by or transmitted to specific diagnostic systems or sites, thefield service engineer may be notified of the request or the report atthe same time as the report is transmitted to the diagnostic system. Itshould be noted that, when desired, a report maybe stored at a locationremote from the diagnostic system, and nevertheless be viewed at thediagnostic system, such as via a browser interface (e.g. as a series ofweb pages). Moreover, where desired, a report may be requested by thesystem to be delivered via facsimile. In such cases, the report isrequested and compiled as described above, then transmitted viafacsimile to the institution in which the system is installed or, inappropriate applications, directly to the requesting system.

[0085]FIG. 15 illustrates exemplary control logic for verifying andcontrolling financial and management arrangements between the servicefacility and diagnostic systems. As mentioned above, the logicillustrated in FIG. 15, designated generally by the reference numeral350, may be triggered in a variety of manners. For example, verificationof license or subscriber status may be triggered each time the serviceapplication is accessed at the medical diagnostic system. Similartriggering may occur upon request for specific types of service at theremote service facility. Moreover, both the diagnostic system and theremote service facility may include routines designed to trigger analert upon expiration or anticipated expiration of a dated subscription.Furthermore, subscription or license verifications may relate to all ora part of the platform or configuration of the diagnostic system, suchas particular programs, applications, protocols and so forth. In apresently preferred embodiment, other security checks may be performedin addition to such subscription verifications to prevent tampering. Forexample, when the service platform is started, a coded check sum forfiles is compared to a reference (e.g., created upon installation orsubsequent updating) If the comparison reveals possible tampering, anote is made in a log file which can be monitored remotely.

[0086] In the presently contemplated embodiment, several types of fee orfinancial management arrangements may be provided in parallel. Firstly,a service subscription may exist for certain levels of service. Theservice subscription may time out periodically or may be permanent, suchas lifetime or non-expiring warranty service. Secondly, certain of theservices provided remotely may be offered on a pay-per-use basis. Insuch cases, the logic of FIG. 15, or other financial management logicmay be triggered upon generation of a service request, receipt of theservice request, or fulfillment of a service order. Finally, certainservices or service data may be provided based on a purchasearrangement, in which the diagnostic system operator orders service ordata and the associated fee is invoiced or debited to the diagnosticsystem account. Such arrangements may be employed, for example, for thetransfer of new examination protocols, software, and so forth.

[0087] The logic of FIG. 15 begins at step 352 with the triggering of asubscription check. As used herein, the term subscription should beunderstood to encompass both ongoing and periodically expiring licenses,pay-per-use arrangements, purchase arrangements, and other service anddistribution arrangements. As illustrated in FIG. 15, step 352 willgenerally occur at the diagnostic system. At step 354 a subscriptionmanager module contained within the license module 114 of the diagnosticsystem is accessed. The subscription manager module will include datarelating to specific applications or services to which the diagnosticsystem holds rights or subscriptions, as well as data relating toexpiration dates, levels of service, system identification, and soforth. At step 356, the system determines whether the status of thevarious subscriptions is up-to-date or whether certain of thesubscriptions may be expired. If any such problems with the servicesubscriptions is detected at step 356, operation of the service platformor interface may be modified as indicated at step 358. Rather, or inaddition to such modification in the service platform presentation oroperation, a message may be generated and displayed at the diagnosticsystem indicating the need to contact a field service engineer or theservice facility, or to update the subscription. Following step 358, theservice activities may continue as indicated at step 360. Step 360 isalso reached where the status of the subscriptions checked at step 356are found to conform to the needed status for the service activitiesdesired by the user.

[0088] Following the local verification of the subscription status, thediagnostic system may be connected to the service facility as indicatedat step 362. At step 364 any service requests or messages composed atthe diagnostic system may be transmitted to the service facility asdescribed above. Based upon such service requests and messages, afurther subscription review may be performed in conjunction with theservice facility. In particular, as indicated at step 366, certain ofthe service or data requests transmitted from the diagnostic system mayrequire payment or authorization of a fee. Such requirements areidentified at step 366. At step 368 a site subscription index maintainedat the service facility is accessed. The site subscription index willtypically be stored in a license database 146 (see FIG. 4A). The indexincludes up-to-date information regarding current subscriptions, accountdata, system identification, authorization data, and so forth, for thespecific diagnostic system and the services to which the diagnosticsystem either holds rights or licenses. The subscription indexinformation is used by the service facility to update the data at thediagnostic system, as well as to authorize the requested service, or toperform accounting functions for debiting appropriate accounts for paidservices. Where desired, subscription authorizations may also beautomated between the service facility and diagnostic systems or medicalinstitutions.

[0089] As indicated above, certain financial arrangements may beverified periodically either at the diagnostic system or by the servicefacility processing system. Step 370 in FIG. 15 indicates a periodicsubscription check or status flag which may occur based upon suchperiodic license checking routines. When a periodic license check istriggered, the status of applicable licenses is verified at step 372. Ifthe statuses are current (e.g. no expired license flags are identified),normal operation may continue. However, where the status check indicatesthat certain subscriptions have expired or will expire, the specificdiagnostic system involved may be contacted by connecting to the servicefacility network as indicated at step 374. Following the connection, thesite subscription index is again accessed at step 368 as summarizedabove.

[0090] The site subscription index accessed at step 368 provides a basisfor verifying and updating corresponding status data with the diagnosticsystem. Thus, at step 376, the subscription index is compared to similarsubscription information stored at the diagnostic system, and it isdetermined whether an update is required. In general, it is presentlycontemplated that the master version of such information will be storedat the service facility. In practice, portions of the indices orsubscription files may be compared, or data derived from the indices orfiles may be compared for this purpose. Moreover, security devices maybe included in the system to prevent unauthorized modification of thesubscription data at the diagnostic system. Thus, if at step 376 thediagnostic system data is found not to conform to the information at theservice facility, it is assumed that the diagnostic system is to beupdated, and such updates are performed as indicated at step 378.Following either step 376 or 378, the status of the particularsubscriptions are verified at step 380. This status verification mayinclude, again, comparison of the current system subscriptions with thesubscriptions necessary for the requested service. Moreover, the statuscheck may verify whether the requested service is a pay-per-use service,a one-time fee service, and so forth. If the current subscription orfinancial arrangement is found to be in place at step 380, the systemmay continue with the handling of the service request as indicated atstep 382.

[0091] If at step 380 updating or fee authorization is required, anotification to this effect may be generated as indicated at step 384.Such notification will generally take the form of a message transmittedfrom the service facility to the diagnostic system as described above.Moreover, the notification may include one or more interactive pages forordering or authorizing the required fee arrangement. Upon completion ofsuch information or authorizations, the requested service may be orderedas indicated at step 386. Where the authorization is not received, therequest handling may be aborted at this stage. Upon transmission andreceipt of the order or authorization data from the diagnostic system tothe service facility, the service facility may perform verificationroutines as indicated at step 388, such as by comparing authorizationcodes with established codes stored within the subscription index. Thesubscription index is updated at step 390. Such updating will typicallyinclude indication of new expiration or renewal dates, addition of theauthorization or fee arrangement to service history databases, andaddition of the requested and authorized fees to accounting databasesfor debiting or invoicing purposes. Finally, once the required financialarrangement is established or verified, the handling of the servicerequest may continue as indicated at step 392.

[0092]FIG. 16 illustrates exemplary logical steps for transmittingservice and diagnostic programs from the service facility to diagnosticsystems. As mentioned above, such programs may include new or revisedexamination sequences, protocols, and the like. While such protocols maybe distributed on supports such as CD ROM discs, they may alternativelybe supplied via the network connection established between the servicefacility and the diagnostic systems. As used herein, the term programalso refers to prerecorded or live transmissions such as video and audiotransmissions employed by the facilities housing the diagnostic systemsfor personnel training purposes and the like. Such programs may bestored for distribution over a network as scheduled by the diagnosticsystem personnel, or may be prescheduled, such as through apreestablished training program or periodic training sessions.

[0093] The logical steps depicted in FIG. 16, denoted generally by thereference numeral 400, begin with definition of the program at step 402.In general, and in particular for diagnostic system protocols, suchprograms will be defined specifically for the particular modality of thediagnostic systems, and, where appropriate with additional specificityaccording to the system type, model, and so forth. Such program contentmay be defined by the service facility or by other content providers. Atstep 404, the program is stored, such as in a database 156 or otherstorage device accessible to the service facility (see FIG. 4).

[0094] Several scenarios are presently envisioned for distribution ofthe programs via the service system described above. In particular, suchprograms may be distributed at the initiation of the service facility,or upon request by the diagnostic system. Where the service facilitymakes such programs available, the programs may be distributed via a“push” or “pull” scenario. In the former case, the programs aredownloaded at the initiation of the service facility as described below.In the latter case, the diagnostic system is notified of theavailability of the program, and may download or upgrade the system atwill by recontacting the service facility. In either case, notificationis displayed at the diagnostic system through the interactive interfaceto inform the operations personnel of the availability or the presenceof the program. For example, in the case of examination protocols,notification may be provided via the protocol page illustrated in FIG.11, with the new examination protocol either stored locally at thediagnostic system, or available upon request from the service facility,or from a library or other resource to which the service facility ordiagnostic system browser may connect the diagnostic system. Suchconnections may be implemented through conventional Uniform ResourceLocator (URL) links.

[0095] At step 406 of FIG. 16, the service facility processing systemdetermines whether the program is to be distributed via a “push” or“pull” scenario. If the program is to be downloaded directly via a“push” scenario, subscription records are obtained from the servicefacility databases at step 408 to determine the present status ofservice subscriptions, and to compose a list of subscribing diagnosticsystems to which the program is applicable and should be distributed. Atstep 410 one or more messages to such systems are composed. Whereprograms are available or may be used by various system types or models,several messages may be composed at step 410 specifically adapted to thevariations between the system types. Returning to step 406, where a“pull” scenario is to be employed for the program distribution, thesubscription records of the service facility are again consulted at step412 to develop a subscriber list to which the program should be madeavailable. In general, such pull lists may be compiled where specificprograms, including training sessions, protocols, and so forth, will bemade available on a pay-per-use, one-time payment basis, or similararrangements. At step 414, one or more messages are composed for thesubscriber list generated at step 412. From either step 410 or 414, theservice facility may proceed to contact the diagnostic systems and toestablish the network connection described above, as indicated at step416. At step 418 a message notifying the diagnostic system personnel ofthe existence and availability of the program is transmitted to theconnected diagnostic system. Where the “push” distribution scenario isemployed, step 418 may include loading of the program on the diagnosticsystem without requiring the intervention of the system operationspersonnel, but including notification of the presence of the newprogram.

[0096] As mentioned above, in lieu of the service facility-initiateddistribution mechanism, the diagnostic system itself may originateprogram requests. Thus, as indicated at step 420, such request may beformulated, typically as a service request as described above. At step422 a subscription requirement associated with the program may bechecked, if such a requirement is stored locally at the diagnosticsystem. Where such a requirement is stored at the diagnostic system, thesubscription manager module of the system may be accessed as indicatedat step 424, and the requirement and status compared as indicated atstep 426. If the comparison made at step 426 determines that the programrequires a subscription status or other arrangement or authorizationwhich is not currently held by the diagnostic system, notification tothe user is provided as indicated at step 428. From either step 426 orstep 428, the system may continue with the program request procedure, orother interactive service procedures as noted at step 430. As mentionedabove, such subscriptions, including for programs and protocols, may beof set to expire at particular times or after fixed durations. Inaddition to the subscription verification, comparisons made at step 426may include verifications of hardware or software configurations toensure that particular programs or protocols are suitable for therequesting system.

[0097] Where the foregoing logic allows the diagnostic system to proceedwith ordering the requested program, a connection is established at step432 with the service facility. At step 434 the program request istransmitted, such as in the same manner as other service requests. Atstep 436 the service facility processing system may access the sitesubscription index, in much the same manner as described above withrespect to the steps of FIG. 15 (see, e.g., step 368). The subscriptionindex data is then compared with the similar data from the diagnosticsystem, as well as with requirements imposed by the particular programbeing requested. At step 438 this status is compared, and if additionalsubscriptions, data, or fee authorization is required, notification isprovided via a return message to the diagnostic system as indicated atstep 440. Where the foregoing steps permit transmission of the programaccording to the request, a message indicating its availability istransmitted at step 418 as described above. Again, the message may beaccompanied with the program data in accordance with a “push” scenarioor may be transmitted at a subsequent time.

[0098] Where the program data is transmitted at step 418, aninstallation step follows as shown at step 442. The installation stepmay include expanding of program files, modification of resident filesat the diagnostic system, enabling of software applications, and soforth. Where the requested program includes audio or video trainingsessions, other steps may be included at this installation stage, suchas routing the requested program to a predetermined location orlocations. In addition to the installation step the subscription data,both at the diagnostic system and the service facility, is updated atstep 444. For program distribution on such fee arrangements aspay-per-use, one-time payment, or expanded fee-based subscriptionservices is provided, the updating performed at step 444 may includeboth updating of subscription manager and subscription index files, aswell as updating of accounting files for debiting or invoicing thesubscribers account. At step 446 the service facility may bedisconnected from the diagnostic system.

[0099] As noted above, the interactive nature of the programdistribution permits notification of the diagnostic system user by meansof visual or auditory messages at the diagnostic system. Thus, asindicated at step 448, a message is posted at the diagnostic system,indicating the availability or transfer of the program at the initiationof the service facility or in response to a request from the diagnosticsystem. Where the program is made available, but is not immediatelytransferred to the diagnostic system, a delayed transmission orsubscriber “pull” step may be included as indicated at step 450. Thelogic involved in such delayed transmission will typically follow theforegoing steps, including establishing a network connection between thediagnostic system and the service facility, verification of subscriberstatus, and transmission of the program. Once the program has beentransmitted to the diagnostic system, it is installed as indicated atstep 452. Again, the subscription data, both at the diagnostic systemand at the service facility, is updated to indicate the current statusof the program at step 454 as described above.

1. A system for providing remote service to a plurality of medicaldiagnostic stations, the system comprising: a server for automaticallyhandling a service request from a medical diagnostic station; amessaging module for formulating and transmitting a reply message to thestation in response to the service request; and communications circuitrycoupled to the server and to the messaging module for receiving theservice request and transmitting the reply message.
 2. The system ofclaim 1, further comprising a service workstation coupled to the server,the server transmitting the service request to the service workstationfor handling.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the server is configuredto assign a reference code to the service request, and wherein the replymessage includes data representative of the reference code.
 4. Thesystem of claim 1, further comprising at least one database coupled tothe server, the database containing service history data indicative of aservice history for the station, wherein the server is configured toaccess the service history data in response to the service request. 5.The system of claim 4, wherein the at least one database includes datarepresentative of operational parameters for a population of stations.6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a subscription modulecoupled to the server for verifying a subscriber status of the station.7. The system of claim 6, wherein the subscription module includes datauniquely identifying the station and applicable service subscriptionsfor the station.
 8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a reportmodule coupled to the server for generating service reports from storedservice data for the station.
 9. The system of claim 1, wherein theserver is configured to perform a sweep of the station to obtain datarepresentative of an operational state of the station, and to transmit aservice message to the station based the data obtained in the sweep. 10.The system of claim 1, wherein the system includes a plurality ofservice facilities in different geographical locations linked to oneanother via a data communications network.
 11. A centralized servicefacility for providing remote service to a plurality of medicaldiagnostic systems, the service facility comprising: at least one serverfor receiving service requests from a plurality of diagnostic systemsand transmitting service messages in response to the service requests;communications circuitry coupled to the at least one server forreceiving and transmitting the service requests and service messages;and at least one database coupled to the at least one server for storinghistorical service data for the plurality of diagnostic systems.
 12. Theservice facility of claim 11, wherein the at least one server includes asubscription server, the subscription server being operative to accessservice subscription data for the plurality of diagnostic systems and toverify availability of subscribed services in response to the servicerequests.
 13. The service facility of claim 11, wherein the at least oneserver includes a report server, the report server being operative toaccess historical service data from the at least one database and tocompile service reports based upon the historical service data.
 14. Theservice facility of claim 13, wherein the report server is configured totransmit the reports to the diagnostic systems via the communicationscircuitry.
 15. The service facility of claim 11, wherein the at leastone database includes service data for populations of diagnosticsystems.
 16. The service facility of claim 11, further comprising aplurality of service workstations coupled to the at least one server,wherein the at least one server is operative to assign service requeststo the service workstations for handling of the service requests. 17.The service facility of claim 11, wherein the at least one server isconfigured to perform periodic data sweeps of at least a portion of theplurality of diagnostic systems.
 18. The service facility of claim 17,wherein the at least one server is configured to perform periodic datasweeps in accordance with service subscription data stored in the atleast one database.
 19. The service facility of claim 11, wherein the atleast one server, the communications circuitry and the at least onedatabase disposed at a single location.
 20. The service facility ofclaim 11, wherein the centralized service facility includes a pluralityof service facilities in different geographical locations linked to oneanother via a data communications network.
 21. The service facility ofclaim 11, wherein the service message includes data representative ofoperation of a diagnostic system or of a medical institution in whichthe diagnostic system is disposed.
 22. A method for providing remoteservice to a plurality of medical diagnostic systems, the methodcomprising the steps of: receiving at a service facility a servicerequest from a medical diagnostic system; verifying a subscriber statusbased upon the service request and stored subscription data; assigningthe service request a reference code; and transmitting a reply messagefrom the service facility to the diagnostic system, the reply messageincluding data representative of the reference code.
 23. The method ofclaim 22, comprising the further step of transmitting the servicerequest to a service workstation for handling.
 24. The method of claim23, wherein the service workstation is remote from the service facility.25. The method of claim 22, wherein the reply message includes anestimated time for replying to the service request.
 26. The method ofclaim 22, wherein the reply message includes data for correcting aserviceable condition occurring at the diagnostic system.
 27. The methodof claim 22, comprising the further step of accessing data from thediagnostic system in response to the service request.
 28. The method ofclaim 27, wherein the data is accessed by a service engineer via aservice workstation linked to the diagnostic system via a datacommunications network.
 29. The method of claim 22, comprising thefurther step of accessing stored service data from a service databasefor the diagnostic system.
 30. The method of claim 29, comprising thefurther step of updating the stored service data with a record of theservice request.
 31. The method of claim 22, comprising the further stepof updating a client fee record file for the diagnostic system basedupon the service request or upon a response to the service request. 32.The method of claim 22, comprising the further step of transmitting anauthorization message to the diagnostic system based upon theverification step.
 33. The method of claim 22, comprising the furtherstep of transmitting digitized service data from the service facility tothe diagnostic system in response to the service request.
 34. A methodfor providing remote service to a plurality of medical diagnosticsystems, the method comprising the steps of: receiving a plurality ofservice requests from at least a first diagnostic system of a firstmodality and a second diagnostic systems of a different modality;accessing service files for the first and the second diagnostic systems;addressing the service requests to respective modality technicians forhandling; and transmitting reply messages to the first and the seconddiagnostic systems in response to the service requests.
 35. The methodof claim 34, wherein the service files include historical service datafor the first and the second diagnostic systems.
 36. The method of claim34, wherein the service files include service data for the first and thesecond modalities.
 37. The method of claim 34, comprising the furtherstep of verifying a subscriber status for the first and seconddiagnostic systems prior to addressing the service requests torespective modality technicians.